Translation still is an oft-underestimated feature used in the adult industry, although in recent years, things slowly have begun to change. Big companies—and small ones—are realizing the potential benefits of translating a website.
In today's world, in which the Internet allows users to do business pretty much all over the globe, translations can be a valuable tool coupled with a proper payment platform, SEO, and strings in targeted markets.
Translations are important for billing companies, because the user must understand for what he/she is paying for. The worst thing to have is a website translated in a foreign language, but—when it comes time to charge the user—the payment system only has a credit card payment option…and it's written only in English.
Integrating different billing solutions such as IVR or micropaymets (where possible) definitely is beneficial; outside the U.S., credit cards are not as frequently used. Translating means offering additional service to the users—it means allowing the user to feel comfortable and eliminate skepticism about security when purchasing.
Currently, there are more than 400 million non-English-speaking Internet users, and nearly half of all Internet users live in Asia and Europe. Internet use is growing outside the U.S. and Canada, and analysts estimate that 71 percent of Internet use and 56 percent of e-commerce revenue comes from outside the U.S. Recent figures show that 70 percent of the world's purchasing power and 92 percent of the world's population live in countries where English is not the native language. Forrester Research predicts that within the next two years, online commerce will reach $6.8 trillion, and 50 percent of online sales are expected to occur outside the U.S. The tracking firm projects that while the U.S. and North America currently preside over the majority of online transactions, control of the market will shift in the coming years, as Asian and European nations become more active in e-commerce.
American companies are a little behind compared to their European counterparts in terms of website translation. European webmasters are more inclined to translate their pages, even if it is for a small site. This could be because many Europeans are more inclined than Americans to look outside their countries for consumption of information, news, and merchandise. This is true for both mainstream Internet and adult Web industries, although a mainstream site more likely will contain multiple languages.
However, one of the most important aspects of translation is quality. The most common question I encountered in my experience with running a translation agency is "Why can't I use an online program to translate my documents?" Computers are wonderful (when they work properly), and they perform many functions well. Unfortunately, translating isn't one of them. We've all encountered computer problems with spelling, grammar, and punctuation with English-only programs; however, when you incorporate a foreign language, more problems can arise: Nuance often gets lost, or the meaning drastically changes. Translation software is fine if you want to get the gist of what something says—and if a 60-percent accuracy rate is considered acceptable. Clearly, until the available software is improved, the most effective translations should be done the old-fashioned way: by humans. Someone who speaks the language can make subtle distinctions of nuance and determine the best way to phrase a concept, rather than rely on a program's use of a direct translation of a word/phrase that may not have an exact equivalent in the target language. Still, computers do help with the translation process in terms of translation-memory tools, Internet services, terminology databases, and other technologies; nevertheless, to engage and target a specific group, it's best to have a translation that utilizes the conversational aspect of language—something translation software cannot do. It's important for webmasters, especially in adult (in which translation should be done very carefully), to consult professional translation agencies that do not rely on computers. When you deal with adult material the knowledge of local slang and terminology plays a big part for the final outcome. And, if that outcome is an increased demographic that results in increased revenue, then considering the incorporation of translation on your site may not be such a bad idea.
Mo Aguiari is the founder of TranslationsXXX, a website-translating service.
